DADT Repealed

Here comes the chaos.

The Senate voted 65-31 to end the 17-year-old ban following passage by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. Democratic leaders had pushed for its passage before the end of this session since in January Republicans, many of whom did not support the change, will control the House and will have greater numbers in the Senate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BG0IS20101219?

The debate over gays in the military has been settled with a historic decision to allow them to serve openly, but big questions lie ahead about how and when the change will take place, how troops will accept it and whether it will hamper the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Obama is expected to sign into law this week the legislation that passed the Senate on Saturday, an act some believe will carry social implications as profound as President Harry S. Truman’s 1948 executive order on racial equality in the military.

The new law probably won’t go into practice for months. Obama and his top advisers must first certify that repealing the 1993 ban on gays serving openly will not damage U.S. troops’ ability to fight. That ban, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” has allowed gays to serve, but only if they kept quiet about their sexual orientation.

In the meantime, the restrictions will remain on the books, although it’s unclear how fully they will be enforced. Some believe gay discharge cases will be dropped as soon as Obama signs the law.

The issue of gays in the military has been a contentious one for decades. Until 1993, all recruits had to state on a questionnaire whether they were homosexual; if they said “yes,” they could not join. More than 13,500 service members were dismissed under the law.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/20/repeal-dont-ask-dont-tell-months-implement/

Some funny stuff from the posters at Ace of Spades:

The Navy. It’s not just a job, it’s legal in most states.
Air Force: Off we go, into the wild blue yonder! Bluer than your eyes even!
The Marines. Now we make men in several different ways.
Air Force: Aim High. Wear Vercace.
Coast Guard: We’re not just puddle pirates anymore.
There’s Strong and then there’s Army Strong, and then there’s Army Fabulous
Aim Higher, Higher…That’s the Spot
All Jazz Hands on Deck!
The Few, The Proud, The Faaabulous
Link: http://minx.cc/?post=309515

A commenter on Big Government brought up these points:

Gay activists are going to do what they always do when they get their foot in the door.
They are going to push this as far as possible.
They will want promotion quotas for gay Soldiers and special rules that benefit only them.
They will demand sensitivity training for the straight Soldiers.
They will want hate speech codes.
They will want an office of gay affairs to advocate for them.
They will demand special clubs just for gay Soldiers.
They will want the military to recognize and condone gay marriage and provide for gay spouses on base.
They will want LGBT training for all the school kids on base.
They will want gay pride events as well.
They will have more protections than a bald eagle.
They always say they want to be out in the open and be accepted but once they get their first victory they get so friggin’ obnoxious and militant. They will begin to adopt the in your face attitude that they do in civilian life.
http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/12/20/monday-open-thread-dadt-edition/

I served for a total of 30 combined years (Reserve and Active Duty) in the United States Army. Most homosexuals I knew kept it discreet. They didn’t flaunt it and they certainly didn’t have an in-your-face attitude. They focused on their duties and the mission. Their sexuality was secondary. The Dems in particular, have been chomping at the bit to get this repealed and now that their pal B. Hussein Obama is in office, and sure to sign any bill in front of him, they’ve finally succeeded.

I think this opens a Pandora’s Box of problems. This is NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE, no matter how much they insist.
Gender, nationality, ethnicity, and skin color are difficult, if not impossible, for most people to conceal. Sexuality, on the other hand, can be kept private and none of anyone else’s business.

This new “openness” is going to cause unnecessary distractions and needless complications. Now comes the problem of how to deal with gay same-sex “harassment”, gay military partners who want to marry, and gays using their “protected status” by “acting out” and refusing to deploy to war.
Not to mention AIDs. Or how this will affect on post housing for “partners”. Or the rules on fraternization.
Or those who would use their sexuality as an excuse not to do what they were trained for: Break things and kill people.

Just wait until a transsexual shows up at the recruiting station. Or until someone in the military decides to get a sex change. Won’t that be interesting.

It also subjects openly gay service members to ostracizing, distrust and violence, especially if they try sexual advances on straight Soldiers and Marines who aren’t receptive to a pass from the same sex.

Okay advocates, you got what you wished for. Let’s see how you deal with the consequences.